This invention concerns a device for receiving and examining voided urine and, in particular, urine uncontrollably voided.
A device of this type is already known from the European Patent No. EP 0 560 099 A2. This refers to a coating which wraps and, sometimes, defines the inner space of the device. This coating has at least one passage to let the liquid being examined, urine, flow into the inner part of the device for a pre-determined period of time. Moreover, a device to absorb the liquid, urine, into the inner part of the device as well as a means to stop the flow of the liquid is provided. The composition of the liquid to be examined is determined by means of suitable indicating cards (check-up cards). Because of the limited construction of these cards, their use implies a disadvantage as far as the related reading of the results is concerned, seeing that they cannot be seen from the side of the device bordering with the liquid to be examined.
The European Patent No. EP 0 438 482 B1 also describes a similar device for the absorption and examination of, in this case, uncontrollably voided urine; the device consists of a small measuring cell in the form of an “examination card”, which is placed inside a transparent collecting bag, into which the urine flows by means of an inlet tube. The examination card is provided with indicators, to which urine is exposed, to examine the urine collected in terms of developing and existing pathogen infections, which, for example, correspond to the pH, nitrite, leukocyte and electolyte values in the urine. The examination card is covered by a membrane, on the side exposed to the urine, which slows down the urines absorption, causing the urine to penetrate the indicators in a slower manner thus preventing incorrect measurements by reading the high pathogenic concentrations of the urine initially absorbed between the membrane and the indicators. Another swelling material is located which swells after the urine flows into the measuring cell and, by pushing against the membrane, causes the membrane to close after a set period of time. This action counteracts the flushing out of the indicating substances.
In this known measuring cell, the indicators can be observed by means of a transparent external film, acting as a viewing window on the side lying opposite the membrane, because, on the other side, the indicators are covered by the swelling material. This material must lie directly at the rear side of the indicators, so that these can be slowly soaked with urine from the back until a color transfer takes place, which can be seen from the viewing window.
Very good indicators for this known device are available commercially which, due to manufacturing and technical reasons and because of their otherwise different use (as for example direct moisturising with urine to identify disease) are used on synthetic strips that are at least lightly opaque and almost white. When these indicators are used in the known device, they must be placed with their upper surface lying against the swelling material, so that the color transfer can be detected by means of the synthetic strips. However, given the minimal transparency of the material of which the strips are made, the color transfer can not be clearly determined and, in particular, the intensity of the color transfer is difficult to perceive.